Revolutionary Girl Riku
by Auroura
Summary: Ever since she was little, Riku's dream has been to go to the outside world and become a prince. Now that she's venturing from the islands, she's determined to make her dream a reality. Contains themes from Utena. Born-as-a-girl Riku. Het and femslash.
1. Prologue

Title: Revolutionary Girl Riku  
Author: Auroura  
Summary: Ever since she was little, Riku's dream has been to go to the outside world and become a prince. Now that she's venturing from the islands, she's determined to make her dream a reality.  
A/N: In this AU, Riku was born as and identifies as female. Contains themes from Revolutionary Girl Utena.

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**.**

**Prologue**

**.**

When Riku, Sora, and Kairi were younger, they would play pretend quite often. Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka would join in if they were nearby - and that was fun, too - but the most interesting things happened when it was just the three of them. Today, they were playing castles.

"This island will be the castle," Riku said, gesturing with her wooden sword, "that'll be the drawbridge, the water can be the moat, and the Paopu tree can be the tower."

"Is there anything in the moat?" Sora asked. Riku thought about it for a minute.

"Crocodiles," she decided. Sora and Kairi looked receptive to the idea, so Riku kept going. "But they're not just _any_ crocodiles. These ones are twenty feet long! And bloody red! And... and they..."

"And they shoot magic out their mouths," Kairi suggested. Riku nodded; this was a good embellishment. "And if you get hit, you fall into the moat's bubbly doom, and then _you_ turn into a crocodile, too."

"Scary..." Sora commented.

"_I'm_ not afraid of crocodiles," Riku said, folding her arms.

"Even if they're twenty feet long and bloody red?" Sora challenged.

"So we've got the defenses," Kairi interjected smoothly, bringing their attention back to the matter at hand. Riku and Sora took her hint and dropped the potential argument. "Next step?"

"Well, if there are magic-shooting crocodiles in the moat," Sora said, "then that means they're trying to keep people from finding something in the castle. Whatever it is, though, it has to be hidden at the very top of the tower."

"What's in the castle?" Kairi asked. "Secret treasure? A unicorn that grants wishes?"

"We did secret treasure when we played pirates last time," Sora said.

"I really like unicorns," Kairi added. "They seem so pretty..."

"Do unicorns grant wishes?" Riku asked, thinking about it.

"Of course they do," Kairi responded. "They're magical."

"Hmm, I dunno," Sora said. "Maybe Riku's right. Wasn't it genies that granted wishes?" Kairi pouted. Riku figured it was because she wanted to get the role of magical unicorn.

"We can do magic animals next time," Riku said. Kairi seemed slightly pacified by that, but not completely.

"Then what's going to be in the tower?" Kairi asked.

"A princess," Riku grinned.

"...A princess?" Sora asked.

"Sure," Riku responded. "Castles have princesses in them all the time, right?" As she was talking, she bent down, picked a long blade of grass, and quickly tied the ends in a knot. "My lady," she said, handing the circle to Kairi, "your crown."

"Oh, it's lovely," Kairi smiled, taking the grass crown and placing it on her head. "I'll have to add some flowers, too." She started looking around for flowers to pick.

"So I guess that means you'll be the evil witch then, huh, Riku?" Sora said.

"What do you mean?" Riku asked, confused for a moment.

"Well, the crocodiles can shoot magic," Sora explained, "but they probably wouldn't keep a princess in a tower all by themselves. Someone has to be in charge of them, so that's why I figured you would be the witch."

"And why do _I_ have to be the witch?" Riku demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

"Because I'm going to be the prince," Sora said, smiling and hooking his hands behind his neck, as if it was obvious.

"But _I_ want to be the prince," Riku frowned. She wanted to be a prince very, very badly, in fact, though it wasn't something she ever talked about much. Most of it she'd never told _anyone_, but the idea of a prince was something that had _always_ appealed to her.

"…But you're a girl," Sora said.

"Being a prince has nothing to do with whether you're a boy or a girl!" Riku replied, feeling distinctly offended.

"What makes someone a prince, then?" Kairi asked, threading flowers around her grass crown. She must've wandered back when she saw another argument brewing.

"A prince," Riku said, jumping at the opportunity, "is someone really strong, and brave." She swung her wooden sword around, pretending to right enemies. "They go around to lots of different places, and they protect everyone and beat all the bad guys." With a flourish, she tucked her sword under one arm and bowed to Kairi. "And they always," she took Kairi's hand, still bowing, and kissed it lightly, "treat a lady nicely." Kairi giggled, and Riku grinned up at her.

"So gallant," Kairi said. "I think you make a very good prince, Riku." Riku let her hand go and straightened, beaming while Kairi placed her grass-and-flower crown back on her head.

"I don't want to be an evil witch," Sora sighed, looking disappointed. "Or wizard, I guess. I want to save Kairi, too."

"Hmm…" Kairi touched a hand to her lips in thought, "why don't you _both_ be princes, then? Then you can both rescue me." She smiled, rocking on her heels.

"What would we fight against, then?" Sora asked.

"There are still the crocodiles," Kairi pointed out.

"Sounds good to me," Riku said, readying her wooden sword again. "What do you think, Sora?" She turned to him, then grinned again. He'd picked up his own sword by then, as well. "Think we can beat them by ourselves?"

"Of course!" Sora grinned back. The argument from before had clearly been resolved in the best of ways. "There's nothing you and me can't do!"


	2. Destiny Islands, part 1

Title: Revolutionary Girl Riku  
Author: Auroura  
Summary: Ever since she was little, Riku's dream has been to go to the outside world and become a prince. Now that she's venturing from the islands, she's determined to make her dream a reality.  
A/N: In this AU, Riku was born as and identifies as female. Contains themes from Revolutionary Girl Utena.

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**Destiny Islands, part 1**

**.**

Riku sighed and adjusted the construction material over her shoulder. Really, it was just ridiculous by now. She was definitely going to make a point of this the next time she saw the others. She started walking around the island beach, looking for them. Today was the perfect day to work on their project. She was wearing her favorite outfit for running around, which was a sleeveless yellow-and-black shirt held up by a thick, black strap around her neck, short blue shorts, and knee-high black boots that helped keep out the water. She also had short black leather gloves to help with gripping and working, but kept her silver hair hanging down to her shoulders.

Now, where were those two hiding?

"Does this mean I'm the only one working on the raft?" she called. Down by the water, two teens turned to look at her. Kairi waved, smiling. Sora evidenced by the sand still stuck to his clothes and the fact that he was still sitting down, had been taking a nap. Sora and Kairi were wearing similar clothes, with Kairi in a purple skirt-over-shorts combo and white tank top and Sora in a red jumpsuit that went to his knees, with a white, short-sleeved, hooded jacket and fingerless white gloves. "You guys _do_ wanna finish that raft, right?"

"Of course!" Sora said, standing up. "I wanna see the world Kairi came from, and all the other ones, too!"

"Catch, then," Riku replied, tossing the lumber on her shoulder over to Sora. "Less napping, more working."

"Hey!" Sora protested, standing back up and brushing the sand off his clothes again. Kairi giggled.

"And you're just as lazy as he is, Kairi," Riku teased, leaning her face closer to the redhead's and grinning.

"You might be right about that," Kairi responded, looking completely unashamed of herself, as usual. "Alright, we can all work on the raft together!" Then, she smiled slyly at both Riku and Sora. "I'll race you two there."

"Are you kidding?" Riku said, but let her gaze slide over to Sora all the same.

"Huh?" Sora said, but caught Riku's glance in return.

"Three.. two... one... go!" Kairi shouted, and they were off running.

"So," Sora said, once they were at the door separating the main beach from the inlet, "who won?"

"Ooh, I don't know..." Kairi hedged.

"She just doesn't wanna say that I won _again_," Riku smirked, the teasing directed at Sora this time.

"Hey, I win plenty of times!" Sora huffed. "Isn't that right Kairi?"

"Mmm," Kairi touched a finger to her lips in thought, "I think this round was really too close to tell."

"A rematch, then?" Riku immediately suggested.

"You're-" Sora started, turning to face Riku.

"-gonna have to wait until the supplies are gathered before you two have a rematch," Kairi finished. Sora looked back at Kairi. "For the raft, remember?"

"Yeah, I hear you," Sora said. "Okay, what do we need to get?"

"_I've_ spent most of the morning working," Riku corrected. "It's _your_ turn to gather the supplies. I'll be waiting on the Paopu island for that rematch when you're done." She felt uneasy, for some reason, but she didn't want to show it in front of Sora and Kairi, so Riku turned and walked briskly to the small island with the Paopu tree. She hopped up and sat on the sideways trunk, staring out at the ocean and thinking about how things had been lately.

The three of them had been together forever, it seemed. Of course, Riku and Sora had known each other longer, but Kairi's arrival was a good thing, too, and balanced everything out nicely. So why had Riku gotten upset before? She'd always thrived on competition because it was a way to prove herself and her intentions, but lately, it felt like the rules had been changing. How well-equipped was Riku to deal with this? She didn't know exactly what losing this competition meant, only that losing was something she couldn't afford to do.

It didn't matter to Riku what other people said about her, as long as Sora and Kairi stayed on her side. Sometimes, a few kids got uncomfortable with Riku's tendency to treat other girls as if they were ladies to be doted upon, but Kairi would always accept Riku's flirtations as if Riku was the same as any other potential suitor. Sometimes Riku's fighting prowess would be questioned by some ignorant kid, but Riku had practiced until she was the strongest on the island, and Sora would always be ready to voice his support of Riku while she proved it. Riku knew that things would change once the three of them got to the outside world, but as to what sort of change it would be...

"Ha, I win!" Sora shouted triumphantly. Riku turned to see what was going on over on the beach.

"I can't believe I lost," Tidus groused. Apparently, Sora had just finished sparring with Tidus. It looked like Wakka and Selphie had been watching them, too. Had Sora finished gathering supplies for the raft yet, or was he just goofing around again? He still owed her for the tie earlier.

"Hey, Sora," Riku called, and everyone on the beach turned to look at her. "If you want a real fight, then come over here!"

"Ooh, Riku's extra determined today~" Selphie said, looking pleased, though it was always debatable to Riku what that girl _actually_ had on her mind half the time. Probably something sappy, though to be fair, she wasn't far from the truth in this particular case. Whenever Riku and Sora sparred with each other, they always put their full enthusiasm into it, and it was usually a sort of flirtation in itself.

"You're on!" Sora called back, grinning as he started running to the little island Riku was on.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Tidus asked.

"The girl's not joking, man," Wakka laughed. "She beat us three-against-one last time, ya?"

"Don't remind me..." Tidus slumped. But Sora had gotten to the Paopu island, so Riku focused all her attention on him.

"Ready for that rematch?" Riku asked, sliding into her battle stance with her wooden sword in her hand and a smirk on her face.

"This one decides it!" Sora replied, readying his wooden sword as well. With a lunge, Riku brought her sword forward.

A couple minutes later, a thoroughly soaked Sora was climbing the ladder back to the Paopu island, and a thoroughly pleased Riku was grinning down at him.

"Looks like I win this round," Riku said.

"Now the score's..." Sora groaned and shook the water out of his hair, which bounced back to its regular, spiked shape, "I don't even remember what the score was yesterday. It's zero to one now, okay?"

"That's fine," Riku replied, still grinning. "That's just more incentive for me to get it back up to a higher number soon, anyway."

"Give me a few minutes to dry off first, at least." Sora was trying to squeeze water out of his jacket. "Besides, I still need to get the rest of that stuff for Kairi." Riku felt her smile change into something slightly different for a moment, but she made sure a smile was right back on her face a moment later. Sora, the oblivious guy that he was, was still paying attention to his jacket.

"Don't tell me you're giving up already," Riku said, crossing her arms. Sora put his jacket back on and looked at her.

"Of course not!" he protested, readying his sword again. "One more round!" That was more like it.

xxxxx

By the time Riku was watching the sunset that evening with Sora and Kairi, she was in a good mood again. The running score with Sora was 8-2 - in Riku's favor, of course, with Sora gaining his first win only after a marathon of five matches in a row - and the three of them actually finished the last of the construction on the raft. Tomorrow would be gathering provisions, and then... they could finally leave.

"Kairi's home is out there, right?" Sora asked. "But how far could a raft take us?"

"If we have to, we'll think of something else," Riku replied, staring out at the sinking sun. She'd spent so long wanting to leave that doubt was simply not an option. One way or another, she would get to worlds outside these islands.

"So suppose you get to another world," Kairi said, "what would you do once you got there?" That question, however, caused Riku to pause, even if it was momentary.

"I guess I haven't really thought about it," Riku started. There were the ideas of adventure and exploration, with Sora and Kairi following her lead, but Riku always figured she'd sort out the details once she was actually _there_. "But it's just that I've always wondered about other worlds, and why we ended up on this one. We could just as easily have ended up somewhere else, right?"

"I don't really get it," Sora said. He really was hopeless sometimes.

"That's why we need to find out," Riku insisted. "If we stay here, then it'll always be the same stuff. Nothing changes." Riku couldn't _stand_ the thought of staying like this for the rest of her life. "We need to go."

"You've done a lot of thinking lately, haven't you, Riku?" Kairi asked softly, with just the faintest hint of somberness. At least _one_ of Riku's friends was paying attention.

"It's thanks to you, really," Riku responded, turning her head to give Kairi a smile. "I wouldn't have thought about any of this if you hadn't shown up here." Kairi was smiling back at her, but it didn't reach her eyes. "So thanks, Kairi." Kairi laughed, after a small moment of hesitation. Sora, who'd lain on the tree's trunk a bit ago and was looking at the tree instead of either Riku or Kairi, probably had no idea what was going on.

"You're welcome," Kairi responded, though it was slightly strained. It seemed she was less willing to play along with Riku when it came to this subject. Riku turned her head away from Kairi to look back at the ocean again. The three of them spent the next few minutes in silence.

A horrible thought occurred to Riku: had Kairi just been playing along by humoring Riku this whole time? Was it all part of a joke to her? Even _Riku_ didn't know, sometimes, if she was joking or not, but it would be a lie to say that she was _never_ serious about it.

Or maybe Riku was jumping to conclusions. Kairi was probably just uncomfortable because of what Riku had actually said, rather than how she'd said it. Maybe Kairi knew, after all, that Riku had wanted to leave the islands even _before_ Kairi had arrived. Kairi wasn't as hopelessly dense as Sora could be sometimes; perhaps she suspected that her arrival had just solidified things in Riku's mind.

It was the truth, after all. Riku had wanted to leave the islands ever since she could remember, and she'd heard it had been done by someone else once before, but she was never told that _she_ could until the arrival of the Prince.

xxxxx

_Riku had been playing with Sora on the small island when she first saw the stranger. They were almost done for the day, waiting for a parent to come pick them up and take them back to the main island, when she saw him standing on the beach. Sora had gone on ahead to the dock, but Riku had slowed, walking up to the man in curiosity._

_He was exactly like a prince, Riku thought._

_Of course, Riku had never seen an actual prince before, but she was positive that this was what a prince looked like. Many years later, when Riku was working on the raft with Sora and Kairi, she'd long forgotten the prince's face, voice, and appearance; the most memorable thing about the prince had been his demeanor, the way he carried himself. He was serious, as if he was trying to shoulder a very heavy burden, but at the same time, he seemed understanding and approachable. And he was from the __**outside**__._

_When Riku asked him if he was from the outside world, he'd seemed slightly amused but hadn't denied it. He really seemed to understand her desire to leave the islands, and her reasons for wanting to become stronger. The prince seemed really strong - and Riku was sure that the kid who'd left the islands before was strong now, too - so Riku thought that if __**she**__ got to experience the outside world that she would be strong as well. Then, she could always be able to protect everyone and keep them safe._

_The prince must have agreed with Riku because he confirmed that there was a bigger world out there, beyond the islands. He promised her that he would help her become a prince like him, as long as she stayed dedicated to her goals. The weapon he called to his hand was some sort of magical blade, and he when she closed her hand around the grip he presented to her, it was warm, and she somehow knew that it felt alive because it belonged to the prince. Riku agreed to keep everything a secret because she didn't want the magic to go away._

xxxxx

Now that Riku was finally going to reach the outside world, she was more determined than ever that she was finally going to become a prince. Even if Sora or Kairi were unsure about some things, all Riku needed to do was lead them properly, and then they would understand.

After the sun had set, Riku started heading back to the boats with Sora and Kairi. Kairi had gone on ahead - was she _still_ uncomfortable from their earlier conversation? - so Riku quickly jumped to stand on the trunk of the tree, picked a fruit, then jumped back down. It was mostly impulse, really, though somewhere in the back of her mind, Riku knew she had to do _something_ to keep everything from staying the same.

"Hey, Sora." The brunet turned around, and Riku tossed him the fruit.

"A Paopu fruit?" Sora asked, looking at Riku for an explanation. She couldn't tell if he was embarrassed, or if he was just confused.

"They say that if two people share one," Riku replied, "their destinies will be intertwined; they'll be a part of each other's lives no matter what." Sora was just standing there, so Riku kept walking past him to the dock. "Don't you think you should have one before we leave?"

"Riku, what are you talking...?" Riku turned around to face Sora, though she kept walking backwards. Was that a blush? But all he was _doing_ was staring. Just how obvious did Riku need to be? This was pushing oblivious and moving into willful ignorance.

"I know you want to try it," Riku teased, trying one more time for an _actual_ response. Sora just gave her that same confused look. Did that mean he was okay with things staying the same?

Riku turned back around and kept walking. She laughed, though it was mostly reflex. When she glanced back over her shoulder, Sora was throwing the fruit off the bridge, into the ocean. Riku hurried to catch up with Kairi.


	3. Destiny Islands, part 2

Title: Revolutionary Girl Riku  
Author: Auroura  
Summary: Ever since she was little, Riku's dream has been to go to the outside world and become a prince. Now that she's venturing from the islands, she's determined to make her dream a reality.  
A/N: In this AU, Riku was born as and identifies as female. Contains themes from Revolutionary Girl Utena.

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**.**

**Destiny Islands, part 2**

**.**

Just like last time, the interesting events of Riku's last day on Destiny Islands started with a race. Riku and Sora were debating what to name the raft, and Kairi suggested they settle it with a race. Of course, both Riku and Sora had the tendency to up the stakes when they could get away with it.

"If I win," Sora said, "then I get to be Captain on the raft." Riku thought that being Captain of the raft would be fun, but as far as things to race for went, Sora had come up with more interesting ideas than this.

"And if _I_ win," she countered, grinning, "then I get to share a Paopu with Kairi." The look on Sora's face was priceless.

"Wait, are you serious?" Riku hoped that Sora hadn't strained a muscle trying to think that hard. "I thought-"

"First one to tag the star and back wins!" Kairi called. Riku looked over to her.

"You didn't do anything with the one from yesterday, did you," Riku said, less amused, though she already knew the answer. "So the winner gets to share a Paopu with Kairi." She glanced back at Sora for a moment; with the face he was making, she felt a little sorry for him, so she grinned again. "Deal?" Before Sora managed to reply, however, Kairi started the countdown for the race.

"Three... Two..." Riku got ready to run. "One... Go!"

As it went in most of their competitions, Riku won. She was ready to tease Sora about it, until she saw the look on his face. He actually looked _genuinely_ upset about it.

"Hey, Sora," Riku said, though she still couldn't help smiling a little, "take it easy, okay?" He looked back at her. "It was just a joke." Sora still looked skeptical, and it was such an out-of-place expression that this time, Riku _did_ laugh. "Don't take it so seriously." She smiled slyly. "Besides, it's not fair if we both knew I was gonna win." Sora huffed at that last comment, but at least it was his normal annoyance.

"Yeah, well, I'll beat you next time," Sora answered, crossing his arms.

"Today's your last chance, so you better not drag your feet about it," Riku reminded him, still smiling. Sora looked confused for a moment. "We're leaving tomorrow on the raft, remember?" Honestly, Sora could be so slow sometimes.

"...Oh, right." Sora laughed, albeit a bit sheepishly, and hooked his hands behind his neck. By this time, Kairi had walked up to Riku and Sora again.

"So what's the raft named?" Kairi asked.

"The Highwind," Riku said, "because we'll be sailing the high seas - swift as the wind - to another world." She was pleased with the name she'd come up with.

"You should carve it into the mast," Kairi said. "We should put our names, too." Riku nodded.

"That's a good idea, Kairi." Riku considered what other finishing touches they would need. "I'll check the structural integrity one last time, too." She'd been the one to do most of the building, after all.

"Then that means you should gather the supplies, Sora," Kairi said. Sora nodded. "We need to take enough with us to last as far as the raft; you're sure that'll be enough, Riku?"

"I'm positive," Riku replied. Their world was small; the ocean surrounding it wouldn't be much bigger. Once they got to another world, they could plan as they went.

"...Okay", the redhead declared. "Once we do the last checks and have all the supplies, we'll put the names on." With that, they split up.

Riku went down to where the raft was and checked over her knots one last time. Sora left to go look for provisions. Kairi hung around the inlet with Riku, working on some fiddly little thing. After Riku was completely satisfied with the seaworthiness of the raft, she went over to Kairi.

"What are you making?"

"It's a thalassa charm," Kairi responded, "for good luck and a safe voyage." Riku quickly lost interest; she'd always believed in making her own luck. Just sitting around, dependent on something else to do things _for_ you, never got anything done.

"Uh huh. I'm gonna go look for a good carving rock."

"...Alright," Kairi responded. Riku glanced over at the redhead; it seemed she had her attention focused mostly on her project. Riku'd always been too active to find super-girly stuff like that very interesting, anyway, so it was just as well.

"I finished doing the checks on the raft, so you can sit down, if you want."

"...Thanks, Riku."

"No problem." Riku left to find a good rock.

xxxxx

After Sora came back with the provisions, which Kairi stashed in the 'supply' bag, the three of them carved their names into the mast of the raft. Kairi insisted that Riku write the name _Highwind_ since it was her idea, at which Sora pouted again.

"We can always race again," Riku suggested. "Just for fun?" That, at least, seemed to put Sora back in his usual good mood.

"You're on!" Sora grinned, and the two of them lined up at the start again. After a few more races, Sora actually managed to win.

"Since you beat me for once," Riku said, as the two of them were catching their breaths, "you can have this." She dug in her pocket and pulled out a small, roundish stone. It was mostly grey and white, but it had a shockingly blue streak through the middle that'd caught her eye when she saw it. It had actually reminded her of Sora, so Riku thought she should give it to him before they left, "I found this while I was looking for the carving rock." Sora took the stone and looked at it for a moment.

"It's kinda pretty," he said.

"I thought so, too."

"Thanks, Riku," Sora grinned.

"No problem," Riku smiled back. She wondered, for a moment, what else should be done before the three of them left. Some of those things should be done by herself, but... when to do it? It was almost sunset now. Later tonight? "I think I'm gonna head back a little early tonight," she added.

"How come?"

"Last minute things, I guess."

"Sure."

"See you tomorrow."

"See you."

xxxxx

As soon as she figured everyone else was back on the main island, Riku tucked her wooden sword in her belt, hopped right back in her boat, and rowed back to the play island. The lack of other boats on the dock confirmed this, so Riku didn't bother wasting time feigning her destination. The cave next to the waterfall - the Secret Place - seemed the same as always, but only at first. There were the drawings on the walls, the wind whistling through a hole in the roof, and the thing at the very back.

The door.

It was wooden and oval, and fit in with the rock seamlessly. There was a thin band of gold set a little into the edge, and in the very center was a giant, golden, glowing keyhole. Riku went up to the door slowly, and placed her hand on the wood. What should she do about it? Sora and Kairi had never said anything to her about seeing the keyhole themselves; it probably meant that Riku was the only one who knew it was there. But how did it work?

"This world has been connected." Riku whipped her head around.

"What?" There was a person there, slightly hunched over, in a long, brown robe. Riku couldn't see the person's face because the hood on the robe was covering it, but from the deepness in the voice, she guessed it was a man. He was from the outside world, wasn't he?

"Soon, the darkness will overtake this world," the man responded. "But you have the power to open the door, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" Riku asked. How did he know about the door?

"I came to see the keyhole. This world is very small, isn't it? Like a prison."

"Yeah," Riku agreed. Though it hadn't been in the same words, she'd thought something similar for a long time. This man seemed to understand exactly what was going on; Riku needed to find out more. "What did you mean, about the darkness overtaking this world?" If something was happening to the islands, then Riku needed to find Sora and Kairi; the three of them needed to leave on the raft _tonight_.

"Before the night is over, this world will be completely eclipsed in darkness." The man sounded very sure about that. "It's nothing to fear, though."

"I'm not afraid," Riku replied, staring back defiantly at where she guessed the face was inside the hood. It was important, for some reason, that she make sure the man got the right impression about her. "But I need to find my friends, so we can leave."

"The darkness can be an ally, for those who are strong enough," the man continued. "It will not be possible, however, to leave this island by conventional means." Did he mean something like the raft? "The only way you can leave is if you open the door and accept the darkness within. Then, no matter what happens to these islands, the darkness will have no power over you, and you may go wherever you wish." Riku turned to look back at the door. This time, when she put her hand on it, she could feel the darkness on the other side trying to push through. For a split second, she flinched, but then she reminded herself that she wasn't afraid and placed her hand more firmly on the door.

"You can feel the darkness, can't you?" the man asked. Riku nodded. "Let it free, keep your heart strong, and you can grasp its power for your own." Riku's hand felt like her own heartbeat was pulsing in time with whatever was on the other side of the door.

Being able to see the keyhole meant that Riku could open the door. But should she be here, if she needed to go find Sora and Kairi? She wasn't afraid, so why was she hesitating?

"Take a look around," the man continued. "In this tiny place, nothing changes." Riku turned to look back at him, as well as the rest of the cave. "Staying in such a stagnant world will only cause things to continue as they are." When she was little, Riku had drawn on the walls of this cave with Sora and Kairi. "You have the potential to be so much more." It had always been just a cave to Sora and Kairi, though; Riku knew that the _door_ was what had made it a Secret Place. "The only thing you need to do is use the power that was given to you."

"The power that was given to me?" Riku asked, eyes widening as she focused on the unseen face within the hood again. That man couldn't possibly be talking about-

"You would not be able to see the keyhole if that was not the case."

"I..." He _was_ talking about that, wasn't he? Riku had no idea what to say, she was so shocked. She had never talked about that to _anyone_. If the man was knowledgeable about _that_, then he was probably knowledgeable about the other things he'd said, as well. But she still needed to be looking for Sora and Kairi. Who knew what would happen once the door was opened? "I need to find my friends first... We agreed that we would all stick together." Riku would be alright if the darkness came, but she couldn't leave her friends defenseless; they needed her, didn't they?

"Are you sure?" the man asked.

"...What do you mean?" Riku and Sora and Kairi would all-

"Are you sure that you will remain together if you do not act right now?" The man seemed to pass his gaze around the cave once more. Riku tried to follow where he was looking, but she didn't really know what he was talking about.

"Of course we'll stay tog-" And then Riku saw what he was looking at, and she gasped aloud. That particular drawing had a picture of two people, and a recent addition added a Paopu, but Riku wasn't in the picture.

That wasn't the way things were supposed to go. That wasn't what she'd _meant_ when she'd tried to get things to change. She hadn't wanted things to stay the same, but this was all _wrong_. She had to do something.

"If I want things to change," Riku said, voice much more calm than she felt, "the way that _I_ want, then I have to do something myself, don't I?"

"The only way to obtain the power to change the world the way you see fit is to open the door," the man replied, just as calmly. "You must act now."

"What should I do?"

"It's quite easy. Simply use the power you were given to open the door. Accept the power of the darkness within."

"Alright." Riku took a step back from the door and thought _open_. There was a flash - of what, Riku couldn't tell, but it hummed warm in her hand for a moment, until a soft _click_ - and then a rush of cold air swept from the door and enveloped her. It gathered around her, and she could feel the pulsing much stronger now. She breathed it in, and it spread through her lungs, into her bones and muscles and blood vessels, then into her heart. It was a strange, heady feeling, dizzying and disorienting and exhilarating all at once. She wasn't sure how long this went on, but she was pulled out of it by a girl's voice.

"Riku!" Riku blinked her eyes open.

"Kairi," Riku smiled. "We can go to the outside world now."

"What's going on?" Kairi asked, gaze darting from Riku, to the hooded man, to the door. She looked scared. "What did you do?" Riku noticed that she still had a weapon in her hands - though it seemed different, somehow, than the one from before - so she dismissed it and let it disappear. It would come back if she called it again.

"It's okay, Kairi," Riku reassured her friend. "I've got everything under control, so you don't need to be scared. Just let me take care of things, okay? Then everything will turn out how we want it to."

"Riku, something's wrong with the islands!" Kairi insisted. "What happened? Who is that?" Riku wasn't worried by Kairi's hesitation; she'd hesitated briefly herself, only a few moments ago, but that was only because she hadn't known how exciting this all was. Riku felt like she could do _anything_ right now. The fact that the islands were being destroyed, just as that strange man had predicted, seemed relatively unimportant right now.

"Just stay here, okay?" Riku grinned back at the redhead. "I'll go get Sora, and then we can all leave together!" Then she ran out of the cave to go look for Sora.

xxxxx

Riku waited for Sora at the Paopu island. When the brunet got to the play island, he would be able to see her clearly if she stayed here. It was strange, but while Riku partially realized that she should be upset at watching bits of the islands detach from themselves and collect into the black-and-red dull glow of a dying star, she felt like laughing.

"Riku!" She turned, and saw Sora running up to her.

"The door has opened, Sora!" Riku said, yelling over the storm that was engulfing the islands. "We can go to the outside world now!" Sora looked confused and skeptical, like he had earlier today.

"Where's Kairi?" Sora asked. "She's not with you?"

"Kairi's coming with us," Riku responded. It felt like her veins were on fire, and she was still lightheaded, but she needed to explain to Sora what they were going to do. "Once go through, we might not be able to come back, but we can't let fear stop us!" If Sora was nervous, then that was fine because Riku could take care of him, too. "I'm not afraid of the darkness!" Then, Riku reached out her hand for Sora to take. "Sora!"

If Sora would only _pay attention_ for once and reach back, then Riku could take them through the darkness to where Kairi was, and then the three of them could go through the door to another world. Then, everything would be how it was supposed to be. Riku could feel the distant sensations of the dark wind whipping around them, and she could see Sora straining to grab her hand, but her pulse was thumping so loudly in her ears that it seemed like it was all happening in slow-motion.

Then, the darkness surrounded Riku again, and when it cleared, Sora was gone. She didn't see Kairi, either, though it seemed the hooded man was there once again.

"What was…" Riku looked around; most of the islands were gone by now. "Where are Sora and Kairi?" She turned back to the man for an explanation. Her head still felt strange…

"Those two went on ahead before I was able to direct them properly," the man responded. "I am uncertain of their whereabouts currently, but it will not be difficult to find them, if that is what you desire." …Of course Riku wanted to meet up with Sora and Kairi as soon as possible. "You must depart soon, as well," he added. "This world will not last much longer."

"Were you waiting for me to leave?" Riku asked. The man nodded. "I was here, with Sora, and then..." She and Sora had been reaching for each other's hands, but... Riku couldn't remember what had happened immediately after that, only that the darkness had surrounded her again.

"You unconsciously attempted to create a portal," the man explained. "Your enthusiasm is to be admired, but it seems you'll need a bit more practice before you can complete one that is fully functional."

"Right..." Whatever Riku had done, it seemed like it had used up a good deal of her energy. It was hard to concentrate on what the man was saying over the howling of the wind.

"I will make a portal for you this time," the man added. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Yeah." Being reminded of that gave Riku some of her energy back. She was _finally_ going to the outside world. Now, things would start happening.

The man raised his hand, and in the direction he pointed, right in front of Riku, there appeared a swirling, dark shape. With a pleased nod of appreciation back, Riku stepped through, leaving Destiny Islands and entering into another world.


	4. Hollow Bastion, part 1

Title: Revolutionary Girl Riku  
Author: Auroura  
Summary: Ever since she was little, Riku's dream has been to go to the outside world and become a prince. Now that she's venturing from the islands, she's determined to make her dream a reality.  
A/N: In this AU, Riku was born as and identifies as female. Contains themes from Revolutionary Girl Utena.

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**Hollow Bastion, part 1**

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When Riku came to, the first thing she heard was the sound of rushing water. Going through the portal had been a bit disorienting, but Riku didn't feel like she'd gone unconscious for all that long. She had ended up lying on the ground, so she pushed herself up and tried to make sense of where she was.

This place really _was_ another world. All around the valley Riku had found herself in was a giant waterfall, but the water was flowing up, rather than down. The islands had been… but Riku didn't have the luxury to focus on that right now. She had to find Sora and Kairi. Riku looked around, but she couldn't see either of her friends anywhere nearby.

"Sora! Kairi!" Shouting didn't get Riku any results; Sora and Kairi just weren't here. Had they really gotten separated like the hooded man had said? Sora hadn't grabbed onto her hand, and had been presumably blown away somewhere, and Kairi must have left the islands through a different way, as well. They'd both left before Riku had; hopefully, they'd managed to stick together.

Until Riku was able to meet up with Sora and Kairi, she figured that she'd better find out where she was. Looking around, she was at the base of some strange, giant stone staircase, but it seemed like there were so many places where the stone was missing that pieces of the staircase were just floating in midair. Surrounding the stones was the waterfall, but at the top of the stairs, in the distance, there was some sort of building. Was it a castle?

And by the top of the stairs, was someone there? Whoever it was seemed to have noticed Riku, so Riku decided to go up there and see if she could find out some things about this world.

"So you've arrived successfully." The witch said, once Riku arrived at the top of the stairs. She was… not human. She was shaped like a woman, but everything about her seemed stretched-out, from her tall, thin body to her long face and spindly fingers. Her skin was a shade of light green, and on the top of her head were two long, jet-black curls of horns that stuck up into the air. She was wearing a robe in black and purple, and was armed with some sort of staff with a large, golden orb at the top. Whatever she was, Riku was sure that she was a witch.

"Were you expecting me?" Riku asked. The witch raised an eyebrow.

"My associate brought you here, did he not?" Was she working with the hooded man? Riku felt so much more wary of this woman than she did of the hooded man. "I am Maleficent. What is your name, child?" Riku didn't really appreciate being called a child, but something in the glint of the witch's eyes made her feel like she should respond.

"…Riku." Maleficent smiled and inclined her head in acknowledgment. Seeing her smile did not ease Riku's wariness.

"My associate also said that you would be needing accommodations for a while," Maleficent continued. "I've had a room prepared for you, so follow me."

"Is he here?" Riku asked, her mind more on trying to figure out the connection between the hooded man and the witch than where she would sleep for the night. Maleficent nodded. Riku didn't really like the idea of following Maleficent, but if the hooded man had brought Riku here, then staying just for the night was probably okay. There were other things to think about, though, so Riku decided that she should make her intentions clear, so that Maleficent wouldn't assume the wrong thing. "I can't stay long," she continued. "I need to look for my friends."

"Well, you may stay here until you've found them." Maleficent began walking to some sort of mechanical gondola, so Riku followed her. "I will even assist you in your search, if you like."

"…Really?" Riku got on the gondola as well, but she still felt uneasy. What was the catch? "Why?"

"There's no need to worry, child," Maleficent smiled again, looking amused. The gondola began its ascent towards the castle. "You came highly recommended, after all. There are a few tasks I have that could benefit from the help of a resourceful girl such as yourself." Riku had been… recommended? What had the hooded man said about her to Maleficent? "Simply assist me in a task or two that I need completed, and I will be happy to help you find your friends." This actually made Riku feel a little better; she didn't really like the idea of having to owe this woman something.

"What kind of tasks?" Riku asked. By now, the gondola had arrived at the castle. She craned her head up to look at the castle, now that it was closer. It was almost too big to believe. It seemed like there were more mechanical contraptions everywhere, the crank of gears turning, and multicolored steam billowing from various pipes. On the front of the castle was a large emblem that looked like it was a little newer than the rest of the machinery, though it was still fairly old. The emblem was bronze-colored, in a shape resembling a giant heart, though instead of a single point at the bottom, it had three, the two points on the sides curling up, and a thorny vine design crisscrossed the heart in a large X. Riku wondered what the emblem represented, but now was not the time to ask.

"We can discuss the details later," Maleficent answered easily. Riku looked back from the castle to the witch. "You're probably tired from traveling all the way here, are you not?" Now that she mentioned it, the tired feeling Riku had gotten from going through the portal made itself apparent again.

"…A little," Riku admitted.

"I'll show you to your room, then. We can discuss your situation further after you've gotten some rest."

"Alright." Riku followed Maleficent through the large gates of the castle, up a few sets of stairs and mechanical lifts, until they reached a relatively nondescript hall. There was a plush, emerald green carpet lining the hall, and when Riku opened the door to the room Maleficent indicated, the floor had the same carpet as well. There was a bed, a window looking out on the front side of the castle, a desk with a chair, and four bookshelves that were completely filled.

It was a much fancier room than Riku had ever lived in. She stepped in, first running a hand along the bookshelves, then looking briefly out the window. It was almost _too_ nice.

"Do you like it?" Maleficent asked. "There's a library downstairs as well, if the books interest you." Riku knew she should refuse this room; she didn't want to be a charity case, and she still didn't know what kind of things Maleficent would be expecting her to do in exchange for accommodations.

"I'm not going to stay long," Riku repeated. "I'll pay you back for letting me sleep here tonight, but then I need to go look for my friends."

"As I said before," Maleficent responded," we can discuss a mutually beneficial agreement after you've had some rest, but I must insist you allow me to help you out at least for tonight." Riku frowned in response. She still felt uneasy being in this witch's debt.

"I really shouldn't… I need to pay you back."

"…If you are so adamant about that, then I will factor it into our discussion tomorrow," Maleficent replied, turning to exit the room. "In the meantime, rest and recover your strength." With that, she left, closing the door behind her. Riku took another look around the room.

She hadn't meant to get separated from Sora and Kairi. Then again, what had happened to the islands hadn't been part of the plan, either. Riku couldn't worry about that, though; she had to stay on her feet and keep moving forward. What she needed to do was deal with Maleficent, and then start looking for Sora and Kairi. She didn't trust Maleficent at all - and she wasn't quite sure why the hooded man had sent her here, of all places - but right now, a bed was a bed. Hopefully, whatever she had to do to pay Maleficent back wouldn't be too bad.

Riku really _was_ tired. Her first encounter with the darkness had filled her with so much energy that she felt she could do anything, but dealing with the portal had drained all that excess energy right back out of her. Maybe it would take some getting used to, but… Riku still needed to get back in touch with Sora and Kairi. She could deal with the darkness until then, and once she was reunited with her friends, she could make sure everything went the way it was supposed to go.

Riku made sure the door to the bedroom was locked, then walked over to the bed. She paused only to take off her boots and collapsed on top of the covers, still fully clothed. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

xxxxx

Riku awoke the next morning feeling considerably better. Thoughts of Sora and Kairi, and of the islands, still weighed on her mind, but after some solid rest and a quick shower in the bedroom's adjoining bathroom, her body at least felt refreshed. She put back on her clothes from the day before and left the bedroom, aiming to find either Maleficent or breakfast – in no specific order – without getting lost. Riku decided that once she paid Maleficent back for the room, she would leave the castle to track down Sora and Kairi. Maybe the hooded man was still around here somewhere; Riku could ask him for more information, as well as an explanation for Maleficent.

Then, as Riku was walking down one of the corridors, she saw them.

She didn't know what they were, only that they were small and black, with golden eyes and twitching antennae. There were three of them, and they shuffled for a few seconds before seeming to notice her, sinking into black puddles that moved swiftly toward her. Riku took a step back and called her weapon back to her hand. When the things rose up out of the puddles again, one of them swiped at her with its claws. Riku blocked it and pushed it back with her sword, but it just leaped mindlessly forward again. Riku swung at it, not thinking much more than _kill it kill it kill it_ herself, and hit it a few times. It reeled back, collapsing into a puff of black smoke. By then, the other two had sunk into puddles again, circling around her. Riku spun quickly, then just smacked them a few more times each, at which point they also burst and dissolved into smoke.

"Very well done."

Riku spun around again to face the person who'd spoken, the tension from her fight still present. She relaxed, however, when she saw who it was.

"…Oh, it's you," she said, looking back at the hooded man and dismissing her sword from her hand. Then, "What _were_ those things?"

"The Heartless," the hooded man responded, walking closer to her, now that the threat of those black monsters was gone. "Creatures born from the darkness of the heart." The darkness of the heart? "The Heartless dwell in many worlds, seeking out hearts to consume."

"When you say darkness of the heart…" Riku started, starting to feel a little wary, "…what do you mean?"

"When a heart becomes completely consumed by darkness, it transforms into a Heartless. The ones you just saw were Shadows, though there are many different kinds of Heartless." Riku swallowed uncomfortably. On the night the islands were destroyed, she had accepted the darkness.

"If I use the darkness," Riku asked, "will that happen to me, too?" The thought of becoming something like those creatures seemed like… the worst thing that could happen.

"Not if you keep your heart strong," the hooded man replied. "The Heartless seek out all hearts, but you vanquished those ones easily enough, did you not?" It _was_ true, once Riku thought about it; she'd been shocked at their appearance, but she had also come out of the battle unscathed. "All you need to do is train to become stronger. You'll meet more challenges such as this on various worlds, but I have confidence that you will meet those challenges effectively." Riku had spent a lot of time on the islands working to become the strongest. It was hard sometimes, especially when people underestimated her, but Riku had just worked harder until she was confident in her abilities. The hooded man's explanation of things so far had made sense, so Riku decided that she would ask him a question that had been on her mind since she met him.

"You seem to know a lot about things like that," Riku said. "Who are you, exactly? Why did you bring me here to this castle?" And why did he always seem to have an explanation for whatever question Riku might decide to ask?

"My apologies for not introducing myself properly until now," the man responded, bowing slightly. "My name is Ansem, and I consider myself to be something of a seeker of knowledge. You'll have to excuse the appearance, however; I've been ill for quite some time, and it's best for my health if I remain like this until I'm well again." Riku nodded slowly. That explained why he was in that featureless, hooded robe, though she wondered what he was ill with. "And you are… Miss Riku was the name I believe your red-haired friend called you?" Riku was not used to being called 'Miss', nor was she used to being bowed to as if she were a lady in the kinds of games she used to play with Sora and Kairi. She'd always wanted to be a prince, and being treated more like a princess made her a bit uncomfortable.

"Um… just Riku is fine," she answered, looking aside. Ansem nodded in return and straightened up again, or as upright as he was able to.

"Very well," he responded, though he sounded slightly amused, "Riku it is. I took an immediate interest in your situation, you see; you have a very special gift, and I would hate to see it go to waste. There are many resources at this castle that could help you develop your talents." Riku thought for another moment about the thing Ansem had called her 'gift' and frowned again.

"I don't think it's working," she admitted, feeling a little embarrassed.

"…Oh?"

"The sword _feels_ like it's mine, but it's… different from before." When Riku had opened the door, the blade she'd held had felt warmer in her hands. In her encounter with the Prince, when she was young, _his_ blade had the same feeling to it, as well. She called her own blade back to her hand, examining it closely. It was a deep maroon color, in the shape of an outstretched dragon's wing, and on the guard was a catlike, blue eye. Riku hadn't really gotten a good look at the shape of the blade right before she'd opened the door on the islands, but she was pretty sure that it looked different. She dismissed her sword again and looked back up at Ansem. "I'm not sure why." Ansem was silent for a few moments.

"…Many have called the Keyblade a mysterious weapon," he responded, though Riku couldn't tell if he was disappointed or simply deep in thought. "Perhaps it is something that also requires practice to obtain in a more permanent fashion."

"It's called a Keyblade?" It was becoming more and more clear that there were a lot of things about the outside world that Riku needed to learn, and she needed to learn them quickly in order to stay on her feet.

"Don't worry, however," Ansem said. Riku… hadn't been worried. It was just a little embarrassing, was all. "Once given, the ability to wield does not go away. If your efforts are consistent, you will regain your Keyblade back soon enough." Riku nodded. If there was one thing she was sure about, it was that she needed to be stronger in order to make sure everything with Sora and Kairi got sorted out right. "Follow me." Ansem turned to go down the corridor in the direction Riku had originally been headed. "We'll continue this conversation as we walk." He was walking fairly slowly, so Riku was able to catch up and match his pace quite easily. "I take it you were headed downstairs?"

"I need to talk to Maleficent," Riku explained. She wouldn't mind finding something to eat, either, but paying Maleficent back for the room was her first priority.

"And what did you think of her?"

"She's a witch," Riku said, not caring if she was blunt or not. Ansem laughed.

"There may be some truth in that," he replied as the two of them continued walking down a series of corridors, "though I would advise against calling her that directly."

"Why are you here, if you know what she's like?" And if Maleficent really _was_ a witch, then why had Ansem brought _Riku_ here as well?

"Maleficent's methods may not always be what most would define as socially acceptable," Ansem said, "but she is often quite effective in reaching her goals. In exchange for a few services here and there, Maleficent lets me stay in this castle, and she is helping me with some of my personal concerns, as well." Riku was still skeptical of Maleficent, and was about to say so, but Ansem continued speaking. "I confess that I cannot do much in my current state, but Maleficent and I have come to an agreement that is quite beneficial."

"Because you're ill?" Riku asked. Ansem laughed again.

"If you're concerned about me, you needn't worry." He sounded like he was smiling. "Maleficent has been very helpful towards me, and I expect I'll recover my full strength soon." They arrived at a hall with a great number of lifts, and Riku followed Ansem into one of them. The lift took them down into another hall, but this one was larger and more open.

"Oh. That's good, I guess." Riku was reminded of his earlier comments, about the Keyblade and the darkness. It sounded like she wasn't the only one who was looking to become stronger.

"But enough about me," Ansem said, though he still seemed amused. "Have you thought about what you're going to do next?"

"I need to pay Maleficent back for the room," Riku said, "and then I need to find Sora and Kairi." The floors in the halls now were stone and metal, rather than carpet. Riku's boots made clicking noises that echoed off the walls as she walked, her determination renewed.

"Maleficent could help you in your search," Ansem suggested. Riku frowned again. "It's not necessary to trust her, but there are a great number of worlds to which your friends could have traveled. She has resources that could speed up your search considerably."

"And what would I have to do for her in order to get her to help me?"

"That is between the two of you." Ansem stopped when they entered another hall. "I have other matters I must attend to now, but you will most likely find Maleficent through there. I am sure that you are clever enough to find an agreement that will help you meet up with your friends." He bowed to her the same way as when he'd introduced himself. "Until next time, Riku."

"…Right," Riku responded. She still wasn't sure what Maleficent would be expecting her to do, but at least Riku had learned some things in their conversation. "Thanks for showing me around the castle."

"It was a pleasure." Then, Ansem turned and left in the direction they'd entered. Riku continued on.

xxxxx

Just as Ansem had said, Maleficent wasn't too far ahead. She was standing in a large stone room with green-flamed torches lining a walkway, leading up to a round area with color-stained glass high on the walls and ceiling. Against the back wall was a stone altar, and on the wall itself was another thorned-heart design similar to the one Riku had seen on the front of the castle, surrounded by more curling, thorned vines. On one side was an archway leading somewhere else, but neither the torchlight nor the light from the stained glass was bright enough to illuminate anything past this area.

"There you are, child," Maleficent said. "I hope your stay has been enjoyable so far. Have you thought about my offer any?"

"First, I want to pay you back for last night," Riku answered. "I'll decide what I want to do after that."

"Why don't you think of today as a trial run?" the witch said. "Perhaps that will set your mind at ease." Riku shrugged.

"You can call it that if you want."

"Then I shall explain your tasks for the day," Maleficent declared, pulling a list out of her robes. "The first thing you need to do is set up a table in the chapel here. I'm going to be having some of my colleagues visit, and I need everything to be ready for our meeting." She held out the list for Riku to take, and Riku did so, glancing over it once. She'd take a second look at it after Maleficent was done talking. "You'll find the parts for the table in the closet in the hall downstairs from the third lift on the right. There are also some things from the kitchens that I need brought here before my meeting, so you can pick those up as well. To get to the kitchens, just take the same lift as the one to the closet, then go down the hall on the left, take another lift down, and go straight ahead. If you are hungry, you are free to take what you need from the kitchens for yourself as well." Riku wondered what sort of meeting Maleficent was going to be hosting. "After you've set up for the meeting, please go to the library, find the books I've listed, and bring them back here. Then, you are free to do as you wish until I'm done with my meeting."

"Is… that it?" Riku asked. They seemed like such mundane tasks. If Maleficent was a witch, couldn't she do those things herself with magic?

"I have other things you could help me with, of course," Maleficent answered, "but I think some of them are too complex for you in your present state. Perhaps you can spend your free time training? I believe I was told you enjoyed that sort of thing." Riku didn't really appreciate being told she wasn't up to someone's expectations, but if Ansem had told Maleficent she needed training, then Riku would just work on getting stronger faster and surpassing those expectations herself.

"Don't underestimate me," Riku said, staring back. "I can be a quick learner." Maleficent smiled.

"That's the spirit, dear," the witch replied. "I'm sure if you apply yourself, you can make a great deal of improvement. Now, I have preparations that must be made before my meeting, so I will speak with you again later. I'm sure you're eager to reunite with your friends, so please keep my offer in mind."

"I'm gonna go now," Riku said. Maleficent nodded, and Riku left to start the chores she'd been given.

The first thing she needed to get was the table, so Riku tried to remember the directions she'd been given. It was easy enough to find the closet, but the table was too large and unwieldy to carry all its pieces back up to the chapel in one trip. This sort of manual labor wasn't unlike some of the construction Riku had done back on the islands, though, so after a few trips back and forth, she managed to get the table built in a reasonable amount of time.

Next, Riku went down the lifts again and headed to the kitchens. She was pretty hungry after putting the table together, so she grabbed what seemed like some fruit, a sausage, and some rice. It actually surprised her a bit, how quickly she ended up eating everything, but then Riku remembered that she hadn't eaten dinner last night, either. In any case, Riku looked over the list Maleficent had given her and tried to find the supplies. She also found a cart to take everything back upstairs, so she started loading things onto it, from tea and cups to some type of flatbread and spread to a tub full of live jumbo shrimp. When everything was on the cart, she took it back upstairs and put it all on the table.

After she'd put the cart from the kitchens back where she'd found it, Riku went downstairs to the library. If she thought there had been a lot of books in the room Maleficent had given her, there were thousands more in the castle's library. It was two stories tall, with an almost mazelike passage of bookcases, and Riku was suddenly glad that Maleficent had stopped the list of chores here. With a bit more investigation, though, it seemed like everything was divided into sections, so Riku started hunting in the proper areas for the books. She'd already found _101 Moralistic Poems_ and _Advanced Botany: __Solanaceae and Convolvulaceae_, and she'd just picked up _A Brief History of Metaphysics_ when she saw the piece of paper sticking out of a nearby book.

Putting Maleficent's books down on a nearby table, Riku opened the book to take a closer look at the note. While the pages of the book containing the note were uniform and probably made with some sort of machine, the paper seemed to be handwritten in elegant and flowing cursive. In fact, this piece of paper had nothing to do with the book at all, and was about another subject entirely.

_Report 7_

_I am now studying materials from the meteors that rained down that fateful night. What a find!_

Who had written this? And why? From the tone in the paper, it seemed like the author was some sort of scientist, but before Riku got to read the whole thing, one of the doors in the library opened and Maleficent entered.

"Riku, are you in here?" the witch called.

"Over here," Riku called back, hastily stuffing the handwritten page inside the botany book. Maleficent appeared in front of her moments later. "What is it?"

"Have you found all the books yet?" Maleficent asked. "A few of my guests have arrived early, and I'd like to be able to give them the books to borrow."

"I'm almost done," Riku replied, picking up the other books on the table. "I just need to visit the political science section first." The last two books were probably located there, though Riku was unsure why Maleficent had colleagues with such wildly different views, if the titles _Red Tide: Why the Lack of Maritime Regulations are Destroying our Oceans' Ecosystems (and Why You Should Care)_ and _Fist of the Empire, Lament of the Sailor: Seven Reasons Increased Government Interference is Causing the Death of a Free-Spirited Economy_ were anything to go by.

"Well, please hurry," Maleficent said. "Some of them can be quite impatient."

"I'll bring them over when I've got them all," Riku said.

"I'll expect to see you again soon, then," Maleficent responded, turning around and walking back out of the library. Once Maleficent had gone, Riku quickly sped over to the political science section, found the two books as quickly as she could, then opened the botany book back up and read more of the note as she took the lifts and stairs back up to the chapel. Her curiosity only deepened the further she read on.

_The material is foreign to our world. It is elastic to the touch, and when two pieces are combined, they bond easily. None of the records even mention such a substance._

Riku had no idea what sort of thing the paper was talking about, but it seemed so mysterious that she had to find out more. She kept walking towards the chapel, her head bent over the stack of books. The next part struck Riku so deeply, though, that she stopped right in her tracks.

_Was it introduced to this world when I opened that door?_

Someone else had opened a door, too. Was there a door somewhere in or near the castle, just like there had been a door on the islands? Why had this person's story been stuck in a random book in the library? If the numbering on the paper was correct, there were more pages similar to this one. Were the others in the library, too? Would they talk more about the door? Riku had to read on. She needed to know-

"_I'll_ be taking _that_," the giant burlap sack said, snatching the botany book from Riku's hands and trapping the paper inside as the book snapped shut. Riku looked up, and to her credit, she did not scream.

"…It's rude to grab something out of a person's hands," Riku replied, after a moment, voice calm though her eyes were wide. It was one of the most disgusting things Riku had ever encountered, although the only reason it didn't get the first-place spot was because Riku had already encountered the Heartless this morning. It was obese, with undefined hands like a ragdoll, stitching on its sides that held the sack together, gaping black holes where the eyes and mouth would be, and a curl hanging down the back of its head like a single, thick lock of hair. It smelled of rot and dirt, and Riku could hear the faint skittering of insects coming from within its body.

"It's _also_ rude," the thing responded, putting the hand not holding the book on its large hip, "to keep a guest waiting." It turned to yell over its shoulder. "Maleficent, who is this kid?" Riku realized that she'd been so absorbed by the paper she'd found that she hadn't noticed she'd arrived back in the chapel.

"You needn't shout; I can here you quite well from here," Maleficent said. "This is Riku. She's been assisting me with some things. Riku, that is Mr. Oogie Boogie; he is a colleague of mine." She beckoned Riku over to her. "Come, bring me the rest of those books." While Riku didn't appreciate being told what to do – nor did she find herself grateful that she could now see a few of Maleficent's _other_ colleagues in greater detail – she was glad that she had an excuse not to have to stand near Oogie Boogie any longer.

Riku walked up to Maleficent and handed her the other books. There were two other people standing around the large table, though only one of them was human. The first was a tanned man in black and red robes with a turban and goatee. He had a staff in his hand similar to the one Maleficent carried, though it was topped with the image of a snake. The second man was almost as horrible as Oogie Boogie. He had blue skin and blue flames for hair, and was wearing some sort of black sheet with a skull design on the edges. He looked Riku up and down once briefly, then smiled at her with needle-sharp teeth.

"This is Jafar, Royal Vizier of Agrabah," Maleficent said, gesturing to the turbaned man, then to the blue-skinned man, "And this is Hades, Lord of the Dead."

"It's a pleasure," Hades said in an oily voice.

"Indeed," Jafar said, though he seemed unimpressed. Riku remained silent.

"You are free to go, Riku," Maleficent said. "I will speak with you again after my meeting is over." Riku turned and walked back out of the chapel.

She wasn't going anywhere in particular, just vaguely outside. Training was a good idea, and Riku probably would've done it anyway, even if Maleficent hadn't suggested it. Sora and Kairi were out there somewhere, and Riku needed to make sure everything went smoothly once she met up with them again. After some walking, Riku came to a little stone courtyard, lined on one side by giant brass tubes that periodically let out more of that strange, multicolored steam, another side with only a short ledge keeping any inhabitants of the castle from falling into the water far below.

She called her sword to her hand for the third time that day, and it appeared, the slight aura of darkness glowing around it for a second. Riku contemplated it again; it still wasn't the one from before, what Ansem had called a Keyblade, but it was still powerful, and it was still Riku's.

"Alright," Riku said out loud. "That's fine for now." Then, she realized she knew its name. "Soul Eater, huh? What kind of souls do you eat?" As if in response to her question - or perhaps hearing her voice - more Heartless appeared in the courtyard. There were a handful of the Shadows that Riku had seen this morning, but there was also another type as well. These ones were still small, but they seemed to have some type of armor on that probably made them a little tougher. The Heartless with the armor had the same symbol on their fronts as the giant emblem on the outside of the castle and the smaller one in the chapel. What was it a symbol of? "Theirs?" Riku asked rhetorically, smiling. That was fine with her. "This'll be better practice anyway."

xxxxx

After some time of alternately training and fighting Heartless, Riku slowly made her way back to Maleficent. She stopped here and there to explore some of the castle and get a better idea of its layout, and she thought about Maleficent's offer of help.

All the chores Riku had been given today were very basic, though Maleficent had said that Riku needed more training before starting any advanced tasks. Riku wanted to meet up with Sora and Kairi again, but she couldn't make a portal on her own yet. No matter how she looked at it, she was dependent on either Maleficent or Ansem to help her reach her goals. Training would be good for Riku anyway, so… maybe it would be good to accept her offer, at least until Riku figured out how to make a portal. Riku would just make Maleficent be very clear about her expectations, and she wouldn't agree to anything that was fishy. She wouldn't spend any amount of time around the witch's coworkers, either, if she could help it; at least _Maleficent_ had made the attempt to be polite.

Actually working out the details of an agreement with Maleficent had been fairly easy. While Riku did chores for Maleficent in the castle, and spent the rest of the time training, Maleficent would look for Sora and Kairi. The witch also said that there were a few tasks off-world of a higher importance, but that she was still arranging some of the details. Once Riku agreed, Maleficent laid out some ground rules for living in the castle.

"When you are not training," Maleficent said, "you may do as you wish, but please do not go into the hall beyond this chapel, the lower floors of the basement, or any of my rooms in the northeast tower. You will also refrain from tampering with any machinery you do not understand."

"Is that it?" Riku asked, a bit testy of she admitted that to herself. She also had a sudden curiosity as to what made the hall beyond the chapel or the basement off-limits, but she figured she should save that exploration for later, once Maleficent got used to her more.

"I have gotten you some clothes and other supplies to start you out," Maleficent continued, "but you will need to buy any potions or other items yourself. There is usually a Moogle situated outside the castle gates, so go there to make your purchases." Riku had no idea what a Moogle was - and it wasn't like she knew anywhere _else_ to go, either - but she also filed that info away for later. "I hope you will enjoy your stay here," Maleficent smiled, "I am sure we will both benefit from this arrangement. I will find you again when I wish to speak to you next, but you are dismissed for now."

That evening, when Riku went back to her room, there were two additional outfits in the closet, one a top with a skirt, the other some sort of formal gown. Riku vowed never to wear them. In the nightstand, there was a set of pajamas, which thankfully consisted of a shirt and pants.

Everything in the bathroom was in pink bottles and boxes, all from a company called Mademoiselle Moogle, with descriptions ranging from 'rose scented' to 'silky smooth' to 'unscented and hypoallergenic'. There was even a bottle of pills that talked about 'pompom predictability' and claimed to 'protect against unwanted side-effects from Monsieur', and Riku quickly shoved that one in the back of a drawer with a face turning as pink as the rest of the things in the bathroom.

"I _really_ need to find Sora and Kairi," Riku muttered to herself.

xxxxx

It was a few days later that Maleficent gave Riku a job other than training or playing gofer.

"The next task I have for you requires you to infiltrate another world," Maleficent said. _Finally_. "This is a task of utmost importance to me, so please wear the dress I bought you during your stay there."

"I don't wear dresses," Riku replied flatly, mouth in a flat line. She'd spent a good chunk of the munny she'd collected from defeated Heartless at the Moogle shop, and the small, portly creature with the red pompom on its head had been very willing to show alternatives she could purchase. Riku hadn't just bought healing potions, but also magical soap so that she could wear her top and shorts all the time, instead of that skirt Maleficent had given her.

"You will have to make an exception, then," Maleficent insisted, frowning now as well. "There is going to be a masquerade ball, and you must blend in properly. I'm looking for a particular individual, and you causing a scene will simply not do."

"Who are you looking for?" Riku asked. "I'm not comfortable in dresses; if I wear one, I'll only stick out more, won't I?" Maleficent was pursing her lips now.

"I want you to find me a girl that is like a princess," the witch said. "I need to speak with her, but since I… will not be able to blend in myself," her tone went bitter for a moment, "you must befriend this girl and convince her to leave the ball so that I may have my conversation with her. If you are dressed like a princess yourself, I am sure that the girl will listen to you."

"You want me to lure a girl away from a party for you?" It sounded a little suspicious. "What are you gonna do to her?"

"_Do_ to her?" that question seemed to improve Maleficent's mood, strangely. "I merely wish to speak with her, that is all. The subject of our conversation is not your concern. All you need to do is play the role I've assigned you."

"I'm not really the princess type," Riku said, crossing her arms. She didn't believe for one second, either, that Maleficent's intentions towards this girl were likely to be admirable, but if it was just talking, then she was probably looking to make a deal with the girl similar to the one she'd made with Riku. Anything the girl agreed to was her own responsibility, not Riku's. Besides, Riku needed to help Maleficent if she wanted to see Sora and Kairi.

"I'm aware that you are… not what comes to mind when I think of a princess," Maleficent replied, amused, "but one must use the resources one has been given."

"What if I go to the ball as a prince, instead?" Riku suggested. "A princess is more likely to be interested in a prince over another princess, right?" Maleficent pursed her lips again, but she wasn't protesting right away, so Riku continued. "I'll be more comfortable like that, so I'll blend in more easily." The next point was a bit of a gamble, but being able to present herself as she preferred was worth it, to Riku. "If going as a prince doesn't work, then I'll do things your way in the future, but if it _does_ work, then you have to let me do your jobs _my_ way."

"Oh?" Maleficent raised an eyebrow, and she was smiling again. "That's a very intriguing proposal, Riku." her tone of voice was casual, but Riku could tell that the witch had latched onto the idea like a barnacle. "I suppose you might be given some leeway, since it _is_ a masquerade ball, after all…" She rubbed the golden orb on her staff thoughtfully. "…Very well. I will allow you this indulgence of yours, but if it does not bring me the proper results, you _will_ do as I say when I give you tasks from then on, understand?"

"Yeah, I understand," Riku replied, keeping her own voice just as casual.

"Bring me that dress, then," Maleficent commanded. "I need to… alter it." Riku nodded, then left to go get the dress Maleficent had bought her.

When she came back downstairs, she saw that Maleficent had set up a large, black sewing wheel. Her staff was at her feet, and she was threading some strange, shimmery sort of thread on it that gave off an equally strange green glow.

"There you are, child," Maleficent said, though her tone was brisk and her gaze was focused on the machine in front of her. "Give me the dress, and don't touch anything." She snapped her fingers and held out her hand to Riku impatiently.

"You're going to sew it yourself?" Riku asked, skeptical, though she gave the dress to Maleficent as requested.

"It's one of my specialties," Maleficent responded, though she still didn't look up from the machine. "The ball is tonight, so we need to hurry. Now, go clean yourself up; I won't have you smelling like you've been fighting Heartless all day when you're at the ball." Riku made an annoyed face. Dressing nice for a party was important, sure, but she objected to being told she _smelled_. "Your outfit will be laying on your bed once you've freshened up a bit."

"I'll make a good prince," Riku said. "And I don't _smell_."

"Go." Riku, still annoyed, stalked up the castle back to her room. If Maleficent had doubts about her, then Riku would just have to prove Maleficent wrong. She _would_ be a good prince.

After Riku had showered, she found the outfit Maleficent had sewed and put it on. It was a deep emerald color, and while the sleeves were a bit on the puffy side, it brought out the green bits of Riku's teal eyes quite nicely. There was also a cap that matched the outfit, so Riku stuffed her hair under it to make it look short. When she presented herself to Maleficent again, the witch nodded once, though it was a bit sharp.

"You look very… dashing," Maleficent said, though it looked like it pained her a bit to say it. Maybe she was just old-fashioned. "Here is your invitation, and if anyone asks why you're there, simply say that you're visiting for the holiday festivities. Remember, you need to find the princess so I can speak with her." She handed Riku an envelope from within her robes, which Riku took, and then pointed her staff out to the side, another swirling portal appearing at its tip. "Those clothes should keep you from getting sick when you go through the portal, so don't dawdle." At least Riku found out that getting dizzy from a portal wasn't unusual, and she filed that information away for future reference. "Even if you do not see me, I will still be watching. Find me the girl I am searching for, Riku, and if you are successful, then I will help you locate the people _you_ are searching for."

"…Right." Keeping the idea of Sora and Kairi in her mind, Riku went through the portal and set out to find a princess.


End file.
